Jul. 11, 2013

George Zimmerman, accused in the Trayvon Martin shooting, leaves a Seminole County courtroom at the end of a pre-trial hearing, in Sanford, Fla., Saturday, June 8, 2013. Circuit Judge Debra Nelson halted the hearing Saturday after an audio expert was unable to testify because he was stuck at an airport. She will issue a ruling after testimony is concluded. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool) / AP

Written by

The News-Press staff and wire

MIAMI — While some police and city leaders in Florida say they have taken precautionary steps for the possibility of mass protests or even civil unrest if George Zimmerman is acquitted in the killing of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, Southwest Florida officials say they don’t expect problems.

Those protesting a possible acquittal by the jury, particularly in African-American neighborhoods where passions run strongest over the case, are predicted.

For months, officials in Sanford and South Florida have been working with pastors, youth coaches, community activists and summer camp counselors to stress a nonviolent approach if Zimmerman walks free. At the same time, police say they have been making plans for dealing with any potential flare-ups that could turn into storefront-smashing, car-burning riots.

“It’s all right to be vocal, but we don’t want to be violent,” said the Rev. Walter T. Richardson, a longtime pastor and chairman of Miami-Dade County’s Community Relations Board, which has been holding town hall-style meetings about the case. “We’ve already lost one soul and we don’t want to lose any more.”

Lee County NAACP President James Muwakkil doesn’t expect any backlash here, calling the notion ridiculous.

“People aren’t for the most part watching the trial. They’re going about their business, tending to their kids,” he said. “They’re trusting the judicial system to take care of this. That’s what it’s supposed to do.”

Fort Myers police are monitoring the trial and its outcome. Spokeswoman Shelly Flynn said they’ve been in touch with state and local agencies regarding possible unrest in the area. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said there are no indications of, nor do they expect any local reaction, but they will monitor the situation.

Martin, from the suburb of Miami Gardens, was 17 when he died. He was in Sanford visiting his father and father’s fiancee when Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, fatally shot him during a physical confrontation in a gated community in February 2012.

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Martin’s supporters portrayed the shooting as racially motivated, while Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, claimed self-defense. Charged with second-degree murder, Zimmerman is pleading not guilty at the trial unfolding in a Sanford courthouse.

After police initially refused to arrest Zimmerman, there were many large but peaceful protests in Sanford and the Miami area — as well as in New York and other cities. Those demonstrations included a mass walkout at nearly three dozen South Florida high schools.

Many in Sanford say they doubt the trial’s outcome would spark local residents to take to the streets.

“The main focus was to get Zimmerman arrested and have him tried before a jury of his peers in a court of law,” said Clayton Turner Jr., president of the Seminole County branch of the NAACP. “That was the main issue, not how we felt about whether he’s innocent or guilty.”

Not everyone is certain.

Shantree Hall, 37, a lifelong Sanford resident who is black, said a Zimmerman acquittal might anger many in the African-American community who already feel they are less likely to obtain justice. The protests that led to Zimmerman’s arrest taught many people that was the only way to get things done, she added.

“With Trayvon, the noise was too loud for them. That’s why they couldn’t sweep it under the rug,” she said.

The Miami-Dade Police Department’s intelligence operation, known as the Southeast Florida Fusion Center, has been combing social media to monitor signs of unusual interest in Zimmerman’s trial. The center also acts as a platform for numerous police agencies to quickly share information.